The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Monday 15 May – an early arrival into Aqaba in Jordan this morning and a very busy day ahead. Hashemite is a member of an Arabian princely family claiming descent from Mohammed.
Located on the coast of the Red Sea, Aqaba is the southernmost city in Jordan and is surrounded by mountains and desert. Although there is a border between them, Aqaba is very close to Eilat in Israel and from our ship, we can see Jordan, Israel and Egypt with one turn of the head! The City’s prime location gives visitors easy access to two key attractions, the lost city of Petra and Wadi Rum, and plays a major role in the development of the Jordanian economy through its trade and tourism sectors. The city dates back to 1500 BC and historians believe the Edomites built the port. Edom was the ancient kingdom in Transjordan, located between Moab to the northeast, the Arabah to the west and the Arabian Desert to the south and east. This territory is now divided between southern Israel and Jordan. Aqaba draws people year round because of its climate and access to the Red Sea, known for its pristine snorkelling and scuba diving sites.
We had a choice of day trips today, the most popular being Petra, the rock cut capital city of the Nabateans, and one of the 7 Wonders of the World, or “In the Footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia”. Since I had the pleasure of visiting Petra 40 years ago when, after attending a wedding in Amman, I drove from Amman to Petra and then on to Aqaba with my ex and Ben and Bex, who were 4 ½ and 1 ½ years old respectively and when there was hardly any tourism and our whole visit was by camel, I opted for the Lawrence of Arabia Tour whilst Geoff visited Petra and he will write his account of this separately.
In the Footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia - our Tour started with a drive out of Aqaba, past the granite rocks and through the stark landscape towards Wadi Rum. The word Wadi means dry river bed, valley or ravine and Rum means high. This is best known for its connection with the British Officer T E Lawrence who passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917 – 1918 and also used it as a base camp. Lawrence described his entrance into the Valley, also known as the Valley of the Moon, as….”the hills on the right grew taller and sharper, a fair counterpart of the other side which straightened itself to one massive rampart of redness. They drew together until only two miles divided them: and then, towering gradually till their parallel parapets must have been a thousand feel above us, ran forward in an avenue for miles.”
Wadi rum, originally known as Jabal al-Mazmar – The Mountain of the Plague - is characterised by tall, near vertical mountains of iron-rich, erosion resistant, sandstone reaching 1,800 metres above the desert floor, separated by flat-bottom valleys of alluvial sediments, aeolian sands (sediment deposits produced by the action of the wind) and salt pans (flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals that shine white under the sun). With massive canyons, valleys and mountains the landscape was an incredible sight and apparently rabbits, wolves and the Arabian oryx - a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump and long, straight horns, can be found there.
After stopping at the Visitor’s Centre, we were ushered into open-top 4x4 trucks so we could really appreciate the vastness of this very special place. First stop was by a sand dune and those of us fit enough climbed up – quite a feat as the red sand was deep and it was also about 36 degrees and blazing hot – but the view at the top was worth every laboured step!!!!!
We had been asked if anyone wanted to take a camel ride, I was the only one interested on our bus but our guide managed to cajole 4 more to join me plus one from the other bus. The camel caravans were all resting under one of the mountains which interestingly had some very clear-cut Nabathaean inscriptions with monograms and symbols, Arab scratches and tribe-marks etched into it.
Our party mounted the 6 camels which were tethered head to tail - because otherwise they can become disorderly and head in any direction they want - and off we went on our 40 minute ride to a nomadic Bedouin camp. Camels can go two weeks without water and a month without food just by eating scrub and thorn bushes. When they do drink, they can consume 25 gallons at a time. For protection against sandstorms they have two sets of eyelids and eyelashes, which act like windscreen wipers and their nostrils shrink to narrow slits to keep out blowing sand.
The ride was wonderful – for some parts of it we went through the narrow mountains, just the 6 of us with our guide and not a sound, it was so peaceful. I loved it. I was at the back of the caravan and did manage to flick off a couple of selfies whilst not falling off and holding on to the camel with my thighs! This area has been used as a backdrop for a number of films – notably, David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole who does bear a striking resemblance to T E Lawrence, and “The Martian” and “Red Planet”
When we arrived at the Bedouin camp, the rest of our party was already there, having made their way over in the 4x4’s. We were about to sample some Bedouin hospitality and were treated to tea and the most tasty Jordanian Barazek biscuits, made from sesame seeds, crushed pistachios, spices, vanilla and honey, whilst we lounged on settees listening to traditional Jordanian music which features such instruments as a mijwiz, a tablah, anarghul, oud, rabab – all kinds of reed pipes apparently!
Back to the ship and a less than an hour turnaround before I embarked on my second tour of the day. Aqaba Highlights.
The first (and best part) was a visit to Aqaba Fort, also known as the Mamluk Castle, after Mamluke Sultan Qanswah el-Ghawri, it was originally built as a Khan (inn) for the Muslims on the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina and dates back to the 16th Century. In July 1916 it was witness to the victory of the Arab Revolt when the heavily defended Turkish stronghold fell to an Arab camel charge. Lawrence of Arabia rode triumphantly from here to Cairo to report the news to General Allenby.
It is designed in a rectangular 56.5m x 58m shape with towers protruding from the corners, and a two towered gatehouse. Inscribed above the main gate of the fort is the Hashemite Coat of Arms and it is located next to the Aqaba Flagpole which carries the flag of the Arab revolt against the Ottomans.
Next up was an hour in the town centre – given Aqaba is more geared towards tourism, it was too long a time for me, most of the shops were souvenir, cafés and far too many fast food joints – KFC, Popeye’s and McDonalds being some of them! However, there was one plus – I managed to locate a blonde hair colour (I’ve been looking since Mumbai but of course most ladies have dark hair in this region so there have been none). After rushing to an ATM I secured some Dinars and hot footed it back to the pharmacy where I picked up the colour and a few other bits and pieces. Back on the about-to-depart bus I realised that I still had Dinars left and that we were leaving for Egypt tonight, so I rushed into a bazaar, found the merchant and he had the fastest sale of his life when I threw the dinars at him and he sold me some local Dead Sea body treatment!
Back to the ship and Geoff arrived from his very long, but wonderful, visit to Petra. We had a quick dinner and then headed off for our real treat of the night! We had been lucky enough to snag two of the 8 spots in the Nordic Spa for a Nordic Bathing Experience something which runs deep in the Nordic bathing culture. It detoxes your body, boosts circulation and your immune system, rests your mind and nourishes your body and spirit. Norwegians use it to connect to nature, especially in winter when they have the benefit of snow and ice lakes to cool down after a sauna. The ritual was created in honour of ancient Scandinavian traditions and uses organic handcrafted products from Lapland.
We started with a dry body brush, a cold shower and then we sat in the sauna for about 10 minutes whilst our Spa lady gave us some body scrub to rub into ourselves, it just melted over our skin. Next up we “flagellated” each other with a bunch of fresh birch leaves which help to massage and increase blood circulation in your skin. Next up was a visit to the cold room – and yes I’m talking about a room with man-made snow in it!!! We repeated this (minus the birch flogging) three times, the third time in the sauna with a eucalyptus snowball to rub over ourselves. Then a final shower. Next we lay on our sunbeds whilst the Spa lady covered us with a blanket and put a face scrub on our face and covered it with a eucalyptus soaked hot towel whilst she massaged our feet.
Sorry – obviously no photos allowed!!!!!
Talk about delicious and the perfect remedy for a day hopping on and off buses, climbing sand dunes, riding camels and a lot of walking!!!!